Timing
by Cheeky Slytherin Lass
Summary: They say that timing is everything.:: In which Anthony and Padma miss opportunities and one another.:: For Reilly.


**A/N: For the lovely Reilly. Thanks for giving me a new ship to sail, darling. I think I'm in love.**

i.

"What are you looking so smug about?" Anthony asks as Terry sits across from him in the common room.

"I just asked Su Li to the Yule Ball," he says proudly. "And she said yes."

"With or without the influence of a love potion?"

Terry snorts, eyes rolling. "Hilarious, Goldstein," he says dryly. "Bet that sense of humor has all the girls lining up, begging you to take them to the ball."

Anthony's turn to roll his eyes. "I don't think I'm going."

"Because you don't do the whole Christmas thing?"

"Because I don't do the whole dance thing."

"Look, mate. It'll be fun. Just pick a girl and ask her," Terry says. "Any girl will do."

Anthony's eyes flicker involuntarily toward Padma, sitting in the corner with a quill gripped between her teeth, eyes narrowed in thought. No, any girl will not do. There is only one girl that Anthony would want to go with.

"Yeah," he says. "Maybe I will."

..

He catches her on her way to the library. "Hey, Padma?"

"Yes?"

As she turns and fixes her dark eyes on him, his courage seems to dissolve. Anthony shifts his weight nervously from foot to foot, trembling hands smoothing out creases on his robes. "I, er.. I was just wondering..."

A faint smile creeps across her face. Anthony almost thinks she looks hopeful, and it knots his stomach.

"Do you, um..." He hesitates, sucking in a deep breath. How can a question be so difficult to ask?

"Do I...?" she prompts with a small gesture of her hand.

"Do you have your notes for Herbology? I seem to have lost mine," he says lamely.

Padma slumps slightly. "Oh," she says with a nod. "Yeah. I'll get them to you after dinner."

"Thanks."

..

"Well?" Terry asks. "Who's the lucky witch that gets to show up in your arms?"

"Nobody."

"Couldn't fnd anyone, huh? I think Loony might still be available."

With a blush, Anthony scowls. "Actually, Mum wants me home," he lies.

..

Anthony sits on his window sill, watching snow dance beyond the glass.

Padma will be at the Yule Ball now. He bets that she looks absolutely beautiful.

ii.

"Who are you looking for?" Parvati asks as they step off the Hogwarts Express.

"No one," Padma says a little too quickly.

Her twin raises her eyebrows, a smirk on her lips. "Is No One cute?" she asks.

Padma rolls her eyes. "I'm looking for Anthony, if you must know."

This seems to dampen her sister's teasing mood. Parvati frowns with a sigh. "I don't think you're going to find him," she says. "Not with that stupid Muggle Born Registration."

Padma nods. She had suspected as much, but she'd spent the past few weeks praying that she would be wrong. "Yeah," she mutters, pulling her eyes away from the crowd of somber students. "I figured."

..

She keeps an ear out for any shred of news. Even gossip would be a welcome relief to the lack of information.

But no one mentions Anthony at all.

..

"Do you think he registered?" she asks.

Terry shakes his head. "He wouldn't be that stupid."

"He's a Ravenclaw, after all," she agrees with a laugh that feels too hollow in her throat.

An almost smile tugs at Terry's lips. "Yeah. He's probably hiding out somewhere they'll never think of looking."

"I hope so."

His smile fades just as quickly as it had appeared. "You and me both."

..

She thinks back to their fourth year, when Anthony had approached her on the way to the library. She's certain he had wanted to ask her to the Yule Ball.

At the time, she had resented him for not asking. Now, she's almost grateful that he hadn't.

His absense hurts enough as it is. If they had been involved, she can't imagine the agony she'd feel now.

"Please be safe," she says in a whispered prayer, closing her eyes drifting off into a fitful sleep.

iii.

He climbs through the portrait hole, nearly tripping over his own feet as they carry him into the Room of Requirement.

"About bloody time, Goldstein!" Terry calls, earning a laugh from a few others.

Anthony barely registers that his best friend has spoken. His eyes lock with Padma's. He'd been afraid that he'd never see her again, outside of his memories in dreams. But there she is, as beautiful as ever.

He had pictured their reuinon a hundred times while on the run, had planned out exactly what he'd say and do. Now, all of that fades away, and he just stands there, frozen in place until someone climbs out from behind him, accidentally knocking him forward.

"Sorry! Didn't see you there!"

Cheeks red, he keeps moving until he's directly in front of Padma. "You're okay," she whispers.

"Of course I am," he says, sounding more sure than he feels. He swallows dryly. "When this is over, we need to talk."

She smiles. "I couldn't agree more."

..

Padma rushes anxiously through the castle. The moment of peace won't last forever. Soon, the battle will start up again.

"Have you seen Anthony?" she asks.

"Nope."

With a groan, she keeps going, eyes flickering from side to side frantically, searching for him.

"Have you seen Anthony?"

Luna gives her a sad smile, and Padma's heart seems to stop. "He's in the hospital wing, I think."

Padma mutters a rushed thanks before turning around and running as fast as her legs will carry her.

..

"Mum always said angels were real," Anthony laughs. "And behold! One has appeared before my deathbed."

"You're not dying. Shut up," Padma says sharply.

With a grin, he sits up, biting back a groan. "Only yanking your leg," he says. "Have to yank yours since mine's broken. Bloody statue fell on it, and-"

Before he can finish, her lips crush against his, and he can feel her tears trickling into the kiss. "Don't you dare scare me like that again," she whispers as she pulls away.

Anthony touches his fingers to his lips in shock. "If that's your reaction to being scared, I might do it more often."

She gives a weak laugh. "Oh, shut up," she says before kissing him again.


End file.
